U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Recruiting, Retaining and Honoring a World-Class Workforce to Serve the American People

About APS

Alternative Personnel Systems (APS) fall into three categories – demonstration projects, independent system, and Governmentwide executive pay systems.

Demonstration projects are authorized under chapter 47 of title 5, United States Code. Under this authority, OPM establishes and evaluates demonstration projects designed to test whether certain changes in personnel management practices, such as a change to performance-based pay from a longevity-based system, would improve Federal personnel management.

The second category includes agency-specific, independent systems established under specific legislative authority. Examples of agencies with independent systems include financial regulatory agencies; the Federal Aviation Administration; the Internal Revenue Service; the Government Accountability Office; the Transportation Security Administration; the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Intelligence Community; the Department of Defense; and the Department of Homeland Security.

The final category is Governmentwide executive pay systems, comprising the Senior Executive Service and the Senior Foreign Service.

For additional information, click on the links below.

• Alternative Personnel System Reports
• Alternative Personnel System Profiles
• FAQs